Number Four
by Untiltheveryend7
Summary: Number One was a classic, Number Two a success, Number Three a disaster. With Lily making the decision this time, what will become of Number Four?


_**Disclaimer: Harry Potter does not belong to me. All rights go to JK Rowling/Warner Bros. I do not profit in any way.**_

_Number Four_

"It's your turn."

Lily was almost unconscious when James spoke. They lay on the battered old couch Sirius had purchased for his and James's flat. The sofa was a little too small for the couple to sit entirely comfortably, but James's shirt was soft and warm against Lily's cheek, and his steady heartbeat was far too relaxing for her to retain complete consciousness.

"Hmm?" she replied lazily, eyes still closed.

"Your turn," he repeated, playing with a lock of her red hair. "Number Four."

_Number Four._

Lily grinned as she opened her eyes, and tilted her face up to look at him.

"I can't believe we made it to Four."

James rolled his eyes. "Must be the sex."

Lily laughed derisively. "If you say so."

James pulled a mock-outraged face, turning Lily around completely so she straddled his lap. Before he opened his mouth to say more, she covered it with her hand, still smiling.

"No need to defend your capabilities. Now shut up, I'm thinking."

James kissed the hand against his mouth and lowered it, lacing his fingers with hers. "I've got a few ideas..."

Lily snorted. "You think I need help? Number two beat both of your dates, and you know it."

"Hey!" James started off indignantly. "Hogsmeade needed to be done – I'd been asking you to it since bloody fifth year. Anyway, it's-"

"Boring?" Lily interjected.

"A _classic_."

"Sure it is. For lovestruck thirteen-year-olds on embarrassing first dates."

"Number one was _not_ embarrassing."

"Fine, fine," Lily relented. "One was kind of cute, actually. What with all that handholding and those chaste kisses..."

"Unlike number two..."

"Are you complaining?"

James considered. "We didn't really get to watch the film. My _first _film!"

Lily raised an eyebrow.

"No, I'm not complaining," James added quickly, pushing the curtain of red hair around Lily's face back past her shoulders, his smile not fading as he reached up to drop a quick peck on her lips.

Lily couldn't help her own grin. She really did love him. At times like these she remembered it most; when she could feel his heartbeat matching the pace of hers, his hazel eyes sparkling behind his glasses, his smile slightly pulled up on the left side.

"Number three," Lily reminisced. "Wasn't that... different."

"Sirius's fault," James reminded her quickly. "He said he could get us free tickets to the Pumpkin Chasers, that they were a great obscure band. The arsehole."

"They were obscure, alright," Lily inputted.

"Because they were fucking awful."

"It wasn't that bad."

"You hid in my chest when the screaming started," James reminded her, smirking.

"I like your chest."

"Obviously. It's a great chest."

Lily couldn't really argue with that. "Number Four is going to be the best yet."

"We'll see. I still think Number One was a winner."

"Because it's a _classic_?" she said, emphasising the last word.

"No. Because you let me hold your hand and give you chaste kisses for the first time."

Lily smiled, and gave him one that would be difficult to describe as 'chaste'.

When they pulled apart, she was struck with an idea.

"Let's go swimming."

"Wh-what," James spluttered, looking more than a little startled.

Lily looked at him curiously, "It's not that difficult to understand, James. I thought you'd like doing another Muggle activity. We could make that a rule, actually. I'll do the muggle dates, and you'll do the wizarding ones..." Lily smiled, obviously happy with the idea.

"But... Lils..."

Lily frowned at him. Her boyfriend looked troubled, frowning worriedly. "What is it?"

James bit his lip. "Nothing."

"Nothing?"

"Nothing."

Lily was pretty sure that whatever was bothering James wasn't 'nothing', but she knew better than to push him.

"Come on, then," Lily said, as they exited the block of flats. She grasped his hand in hers, and focused on the building she knew to be Surrey's best leisure centre.

* * *

Lily had always liked the smell of swimming pools. She'd been a natural swimmer for as long as she could remember, and the scent of chlorine now – as ever – reminded her of childhood Sunday afternoons with Petunia and her father. Ignoring the sinking feeling in her stomach at the memories of her once-happy family, Lily walked out of the female changing rooms at the exact same time James appeared from the male changing rooms opposite.

Lily smiled involuntarily; James returned it lopsidedly, ruffling his hair.

"Alright?" James asked her when they met at the deep end of the pool.

"I'm fine," Lily said. "Ready to swim?"

James eyed the sparkling blue water uneasily, "I guess so."

Lily looked at him curiously. He was certainly acting a lot more reserved than usual.

"Alright then," she said, grabbing his hand. "On the count of three. One... two..."

"Lily, wait!" James said urgently, but it was too late for Lily to react.

"Three," she said, and jumped in, pulling James after her.

Lily revelled in the feeling of the cold water around her. It was rejuvenating; reviving. Somehow, being underwater melted away all her worries. Of the war that they would soon be thrust into, of her mother's illness, her father's death, her sister's self-imposed estrangement. And of James's mental state – his mother had only died three weeks ago, and although he'd been coping well since the funeral, Lily couldn't help worrying – remembering all too keenly the dull, aching pain.

The water flowed over her face, into her ears; it was calm, silent.

But the pressure in her lungs was impossible to ignore, so inevitably, Lily needed to kick to the surface.

She'd lost James's hand somewhere along the way.

Lily's head broke the surface. She smiled before opening her eyes, dragging in a deep breath.

And that was when she became aware of her boyfriend splashing wildly a few metres away.

James was struggling, that was obvious. He was trying desperately to stay afloat, his limbs flailing in the water, his face turned up to breathe before he sunk beneath the surface once more.

The panic in his recently-unbespectacled eyes spoke volumes to Lily.

James didn't know how to swim.

And he hadn't told her.

Typical.

Lily dived under the surface once more, but didn't have the time to savour the feeling of the water moving against her body as she swam over to James and dragged him by the arm to the surface.

When James's head was above the surface, Lily said a short, "Lay on your back."

Wisely, he obeyed without questioning, and Lily was able to drag him to the side, where he clung on for dear life.

"So maybe I'm not the _best_ swimmer," James said when he'd caught his breath, trying for his usual nonchalant smile.

Lily didn't smile. "You're an idiot."

"I know."

"Why didn't you tell me you couldn't swim?"

James shrugged. "I thought I'd get the hang of it before you noticed!"

Lily shook her head, trying to repress the laugh playing at her lips. He really was a stupid boy. Of course he would think that swimming would come as easily to him as everything else. Of course.

Watching her expression carefully, James pouted slightly and said, "I just didn't want to ruin your date..."

Lily rolled her eyes, and smoothed back the wet hair from his forehead. "You should have just told me. Idiot."

James shrugged with one shoulder, obviously not wanting to relinquish his grip on the side of the pool with his left hand.

"Come on," Lily said, "Shuffle down to the shallow end. I'm going to teach you how to swim."

James looked as if he were about to protest, but Lily dove underneath the water once more, swimming to the other end, and James was left to scrounge for his dignity, moving his hands along the wall, one after the other, until his feet reached the bottom of the pool.

* * *

"What are you looking at?" James let go of the wall briefly, to direct his comment to a group of three preteen boys laughing at his efforts.

"James," Lily said shortly. "Ignore them. Hands back on the wall, and kick!"

"This is so bloody humiliating," James muttered as the boys continued to laugh. He did as Lily said, and was afloat easily.

"If you'd told me you couldn't swim, this could have all been avoided," Lily pointed out. "But I don't know what you're complaining about – you're doing fine! We'll try with a float now."

Lily hailed over a lifeguard, and requested use of a float.

The lifeguard in question happened to be young, fit and male. He laughed at the sight of James clinging onto the wall.

James's blood boiled.

"Sure you don't want to knock off this little swimming lesson," he said, eyeing Lily in her skimpy bikini in such a way that made James want to hit him. "My shift finishes in ten – you're welcome to join me in the Jacuzzi..." he raised an eyebrow at her.

James's fist longed for his face.

Lily raised an eyebrow. "No. Go and get a bloody float."

"Short, sweet and to the point," James said, looping an arm around her waist as the disgruntled lifeguard walked away. "How come my rejections were so much grander?"

"Your perusals were much grander," Lily replied, laughing.

James grinned, "Only the best for you, my love."

Lily smiled and leaned into him so her head was on his chest. "You're doing okay, you know," she said, as she played with the waistband of his shorts at his lower back.

"As a boyfriend? A lover?"

"As a swimmer, stupid," Lily said, laughing. "Although I suppose you're doing alright with the other two, too."

"What about as a fiancé?" James said, watching with satisfaction as Lily's mouth dropped open.

"Wait-wha-"

"Just trying it out," James said quickly as the guy with the float returned. He grabbed it from his grip, and kicked away with it, holding the thing out in front of him out towards the deep end of the pool.

Lily shook her head and followed him. The boy gave her whiplash.

Not that she was complaining.

* * *

"I can't believe you've got this already," Lily said in disbelief as James approached her in a perfect breaststroke.

James smiled. "I'm a fast learner."

"Apparently so. It took me years at swimming lessons to swim like that!"

The pair had been in the pool for a few hours now, and Lily knew that soon they would have to leave. It had been an interesting date, to say the least.

Sure enough, the whistle blew, and everyone in the pool was ushered out. It was the end of their swimming session – and the end of the date.

Lily and James climbed out of the pool.

"See you in a minute," James said as they left for their separate changing rooms, kissing Lily quickly on the lips when they separated, holding onto her hand until the very last second.

Lily didn't know how he could still make her feel like that; butterflies in her stomach, cheeks flushing, grinning like a maniac.

"James!" she called across the pool, just before he entered the male changing room. Lily knew she was getting odd looks from the people still around the poolside, but she didn't particularly care.

"Number Four?" she asked, her voice easily carrying across the pool.

James grinned and gave her a thumbs up.

He blew Lily a kiss before leaving to get changed.

* * *

That night, long after Lily had left the flat he shared with Sirius, James was still awake.

It must have been past midnight, but he just couldn't sleep – a single thought occupying his mind.

James opened the second draw down in his bedside table, and searched around until he felt the familiar velvety texture of the small box.

He opened it, examining his mother's ring for what must have been the thousandth time since the will-reading. Pearl and Diamond set in yellow gold. Classically beautiful. Lily would love it.

And in that moment, James resolved to make Date Number Five the best yet.

* * *

**A/N: No time long see? Sorry. This one-shot was an attempt to get back into writing properly. I should be updating Lily's Story soon (it's the last chapter, and nearly done!). For those of you who read Enough Trouble for a Lifetime, I'm sorry it's taking so long. I don't know when I'll have the time to update, because I will be working on my original story for Camp NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) through August. We'll see, I suppose. **

**Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this story! It was an idea that I got whilst swimming around a pool on holiday last week, and I just had to write it. **

**Review to let me know what you thought! I'd really appreciate it.**

**Love always, **

**Abi xx**


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